It is common practice in the manufacturing of miniature 9-volt dry cell batteries to provide a tubular housing or jacket which contains the battery cells. The housing has one open end which is closed by an insulating support having snap fastener terminals on its external surface. These terminals are ordinarily riveted to the closure and the rivets in turn are connected to the cells of the battery. Lead wires or other lead conductors are connected to the terminals of the battery by a connector having complementary snap fastener plug and socket terminals.
It would be desirable to simplify the terminals used for dry cell batteries of the type described above. The use of snap fasteners and the use of rivets to secure the snap fasteners to the closure or other connector requires that two parts be used for each terminal, the snap fastener terminal itself and the rivet would secure the terminal to the insulating support. The assembly process is somewhat complicated by reason of the fact that the parts must be located on the insulating support and the rivets thereafter set to secure the terminals to the support. The present invention, in accordance with one aspect thereof, is directed to the achievement of an improved connector having plug and socket snap fasteners thereon of the type which are used for dry cell batteries. The connector can be used as a closure for the housing or jacket of the battery or can be used to connect lead wires to the terminals of a battery.
In accordance with a further aspect thereof, the invention is directed to the achievement of improved connectors having snap fasteners on an insulating support and having improved connecting means for connecting the terminals to other conductors, such as wires or conductors on a circuit board. In accordance with a further aspect, the invention is directed to the achievement of improved manufacturing methods for producing connectors having snap fasstener terminals mounted on an insulating support.
A connector in accordance with the invention commprises a generally flat insulating support of molded thermoplastic material having an integral plug terminal supporting portion and an integral socket terminal supporting portion on one of its surfaces. The plug terminal and the socket terminal are one piece stamped and formed sheet metal members having first and second contact portions. Each of the terminals is partially inserted through the insulating support so that the first contact portion is on the first surface of the insulating support and the second contact portion is on a second surface which is oppositely directed with respect to the first surface. The first contact portion of the plug terminal is against, and supported by, the plug terminal supporting projection and the first contact portion of the socket terminal is against and supported by the socket terminal supporting projection. The terminals are preferably U-shaped and the sidewalls of each terminal are inserted through the support and serve as first or external contact portions. The socket terminal supporting projection is hollow and the sidewalls of the socket terminal are against the internal surface of the socket terminal projection.
Connectors in accordance with the invention can be produced in continuous strip form with the platelike support of each connector integral with adjacent connectors in the continuous strip. The terminals can also be manufactured in strip form and assembled to the insulating supports by automatic or semi-automatic assembly machinery.